Cleaning and sterilizing machine.



I L. WEmuurF. CLEANING AND' smmmzmc MA CHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.3, 1010. v

I Patented Oct. 8

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. WEISGOPF.

'GLEANING AND STBRILIZING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILHD P38. 3, 1010.

1,040,477. Patented 0015.8,1912

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 a citizen of the United to thoroughly scour the inner surface of the #1 represents a hollow column provided with nnrransmtras PATENT oinnon ,IIEOPOLD WEISCOPF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLEANING Ann s'rammzmo MACHINE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

Application flied reb iar 3, mp. Serial No. 541.916.

To all whom/171 mas concern Be it known that I, moron Wniscorr, tates, and resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cleaning and Sterilizing Machines; and l 1 do hereby declare that the following is a 1 full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical and effective ,washing and rinsing machine for bottles, cans or like articles, its arrangement and. construct-ion being such that bottles may be first sub jectcd to a blast of sand mixed with water or air, or a combination of water and air,

bottle, the scoured bottle being thereafter rinsed by the injection of a stream of hot or cold water therein.

It. also is within the province of my invention to subject the bottle to sterilization after scoi ring,'hy means of a steam jet, which jet may be passed through the fluid con d actors.

The invention therefore consists in certain peculiarities of construction and comm nation of parts to he set. forth hereinafter. with reference to the accompanying drawinns and subsequently claimed.

In -the drawings Figure 1. represents a sectional elevation of a portion of a washing and rinsing machine embodying the features of my 'ihvent-ion; Fig. 2, a plan view on" the head. .of' the washing machine. which constitutes a water chamber or fixed member of a xalvc, the view being shown partly broken away and in section .to illustrate various water compartments 3, an in vented plan View of a portion of the rotary head of the rinsing machine, which head constitutesthe ,movable member of the valve; Fig. 4, a detail sectional view of another form of water-head .ll'hich form is adapted to be adjusted with relation .tp-thc reehspokc upon which it is secured.

Referring by characters .to the drawings,

a flat circular head 2,. which hcad constitutes the stationary member .of a valve, being provided with a water inlet chamber 3 and a water exhaust chamber 4. The.

water exhaust chamber ,1 is ,prouided with an outlet aperture 5, which aperture extends through the wall of a centrally dis- .posed hollow spindle (3 of the head. The upper ,face of the head 2, as shown in Fig. 2, has a segmental exhaust port 7 therein, that communicates with the exhaust chamber 4, and a second segmental exhaust port 8, also communicating with said exhaust chamber; this second port 8 being struck upon a lesser radius than the first named port. An inlet port 9, is also formed in the upper face of the head, upon the same radius as the exhaust port 7, there being a similar inlet port 10, corresponding in radius to the exhaust port 8, the pairs of inlet and exhaust ports heinp disposed about the face of the head upon different points about the axis of said head, The inlet ports 9 and 1.0 of the head are arranged to coincide with ports 9 and 10 in the face of a rotary hub 11, which hub, as shown in .Fig. 3 of the drawings, is provided with four radially alined sets of these ports. .Each set of ports 9, 10, communicates with channels 9 and 1.0 respectively of a hollow spoke 12, the channels being separated by means of a longitudinal division wall 130i? said spoke and constituting independent fluid conductors. The outer end of each spoke has a vertically disposed screw-threaded boss that communicates with the chamber 10 and is provided for the reception of a water-head 14. This water-head has secured thereto a hopper 15, vwhich hopper serves as a sand receptacle and also a catch-basin for the various cleansingztluids that are discharged from bottles placed therein. The water-head 14 is provided with branch-pipes 1G, extending upwandly. from its base, the branch-pipes merging into a vertically disposed sleeve 17 "with which they have communication. The

cient height to effectually discharge into a bottle being cleansed, said tube being ar ranged to inject a stream of water and sand, air and sand, or the three elements combined. The tube is of lesser diameter than IOU the inner diameterof the sleeve 17 where by, a water space is formed therebetween, with which space the brapch-pipes 16 of the water-hcad communicate.

An outer tubular jacket '19 is in screwthreaded connection with the mouth of the sleeve 17, the tubular jacket being extended to a point slightly below or approximately upon a line with-the top of the inner tube 18. The mouth of the 'sleeve 17 is provided with a radially grooved collar 20., upon which collar the mouth of a bottle to be cleansed is designed to rest, there being shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings a portion of a bottle A adjusted to the collar and telescoped over the tubular jacket 19. The

inner and outer tubes 18 and 19 just de are adapted to revolve upon the hollow spindle (S of the head, as clearly shown in 'Fig[ 1, and each spoke is provided with a hopper and spray-nozzle device similar to scribed together form a spray-nozzle 'through which the various cleansing fluids,

together with sand from the hopper are conducted.

Secured t0 the partition wall 13 of each spoke 12, is an injectonnozzle 21, the injector-nozzle being in screw-threaded conncction with the partition and arranged to communicate with the spoke channel 9". Directly under the injector-nozzle 21 the chamber 9 is provided with a globular extension or pocket 22, which pocketforms a trap or catch-basin for any sand whichmay be exhausted from the hopper 15,-. when the latter is drained of water, after a cleansing operation. The upper or discharge end of the injector-nozzle 21 projects through the water-head 14 and is alined with the apertured bore of the thimble 17, which thimble is disposed slightly above the same and at such distance therefrom, that a stream of water, when discharged from said nozzle, will enter the thimble and cause a proportion of said, within the hopper, to be carried up with the water. the sand and "water thus elevated being discharged or sprayed from the end of the tube 18 against the walls of the bottle. The pocket 22 as shown is provided with a plugged aperture whereby access is had thereto for the purpose of drainage and thus sand deposited therein may be readily removed. The spokes together with the head of the rinsing machine that shown. Thus the hub and spokes constitute a reel, carrying a series of rinsing.

devices, and in operation, this reel is slowly rotated past the operator either by hand or suitable power-driven mechanism, the means shown for rotating the' reel, in this instance, being an endless chain 23, which chain is adapted to mesh. with sprocket-teeth 24 that extend from. a circular periphery or rim of said reel.

. bottom.

oader? extends through a coupling of the pipe 25,

whereby air may be admitted thereto.- A

,second pipe 28 also communicates with the head 2 whereby steam may be admitted thereto tor sterilizing purposes if desired, by which arrangement the bottles may be first washed with water, sand and air, and thereafter rinsed with cold water admitted through pipe .25 and subsequently sterilized.

The steam-pipe 28 enters a third compartment 3 of the head 2 and this compartment is also provided with inlet and exhaust ports 1 0", 10 respectively, the latter being arranged to communicate with the exhaust chamber 4, whereby steam is admitted to the spray-nozzle and exhausted therefrom in a similar ina-nncr to that described in connection with the cleansing and rinsing fluids.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that if the port 9 of the hub is brougl' t into register with port 9 of the head, water will be admitted through the channel 9 to injector-nozzle 21, from whence it is discharged into the bottle from the mouth of. tube 18. The Water discharged thus'is ad mitted to the apparatus at any desired pressure and in its passage from said injectornozzle to the sleeve 17 above, the ejector ettect of the fluid, will result in drawing up a fine particles of glasswhich may adhere to the surface of the bottles in their manufacture, to be .cut away, thus insuring sanitary cleansing of said bottles. Further rotation of the reel causes port 5) to travel past port 9 and the water is thus cut oft. At this juncture port 9 will register with the, exhaust aperture 7 and water contained in channel 9 is thus drained through the exhaust aperture 5 of the hollow spindle 6. The accumulation of water discharged from the bottle is drained from the hopper through an overflow pipe 15 which pipe is connected to the drainage channel 15" in the hub 11. From this channel the water passes through an aperture 5 in the spindle to the column I, it being understood that the sand will gradually settle back upon the hopper After the described drainage has,

taken place the port 9 is cut oil' from the frat;

aperture 7 and port 1O now registers with port- 10 of the head. Clear water for tins ingis thus admitted to channel 10*, through onour? brinich-pipes lli oi? the wutenhead to slcevo 1.17, being; disc-hugged; into the bottle through jacket L9." After this rinsing operation the WittBI is exhausted from the channel to exhaust chamber l through port it). the latter having established oouununicntion with the eztluzust aperture 8. the drainage of water from the hopper being efl ccted throng-hr pipe previously described, and the drainage oi water from the space between tubes 18 and 19 and said channel 10" is exhuusted through port 10 exhaust chamber land exhaust aperture 5 from which apertin'e it is discharged through the hollow spindle to the column.

In some instances it is desirable, lB/S previously stated, to utilize compressed air in connection with the water and sand for washing purposes and hence the air pipe 26 is provided, it being understood that this air pipe is connected to any suitable source of air supply under pressure. The eil'ect of introducing air in combination with the water and sand will tend to increase the sand blast and insure ellicient results. It is also desirable in some instances that sand and air be used for scouring or washing, and in this operution water is dispensed with, the rinsing operation, however, being the some that previously described. I may also, in some cases, utilize steam for sterilizing the bottle after. washing and rinsin and thus by progressive steps, scouring, rinsing and sterilizing is attained, or the vessels may be subjected to any one of these operations without the other. 7

In some instances. it is necessary for the machine to be revolved from right to leftand at other times the rotation thereof is reversed. hence in order to obtain this reversal of motion'without changing the relalive location of ports 9 and 10 of the circulnr head which constitute one of the valve members. as well as other changes i the structural features, i provide means whereby the Water-head l l may be adjusted so that its injector-nozzle may beplaced in communication withljhe port chamber 10 in place of withthe chamber l" as shown in Fig. 1. This provision is obtained by the form of writer-head shown in Fig. of the drawings. .ln this figure of the drawings the hollow spoke 1'2 provided with a flanged cap 39 having separate apertures therein which eouuniinicate with the chunnelst), 10",,the division Wall .13 in this'case being extended upwm'dly to the face of the flanged cap. The wuter-heud 14 in this in stance is also provided with a flanged cap having apertures ranged to coincide with the spoke apertures. As shown in the drawing the aperture 12 is arranged to communicateviwith channel 10* while the aperture 41 communicates with 1-1. and 4-2 that are arare arranged serves the channel 5)". The lunged cups of the wntenhoud and spoke are secured by suit,- ublo bolts l3 whereby said water-bend may be ncudily removed and its position relative to the spoke channels reversed. Aperture 41 to conduct, water through hunch-pipe 16 and from thence through pussuges :ll of a sleeve 17. This sleeve can ries u tubular jncket 1!) into which is teleseopeda tube 18,'the latter tube being in screw-threaded engagement with a bottom inlet aperture of the sleeve 17". An injector-nozzle 21. is alincd with this aperture, the nozzle being in'screw-threaded engagement with the base portion of the waterheud and also in communication with the aperture 42 thereof, which aperture, as shown in Fig. 5, is arranged to communicute with channel 10 of the spoke 12. By this construetioi'i it will be readily seen that should it be desired to reverse the rotation of the machine. it will be only necessary to remove the water-head or heads and readjust them to the spoke members in such positlon that the aperture 42 would be nlinedwith channel O",-while nperture 41 would he ulined with charmed l0".

It should be understood that, while-I have shown and described a specific Water-head and spray-nozzle mechanism within the hopper 15, for ellecting the various operations, that this structure may be varied and any means for accomplishing the same result utilized as a substitute therefor without departing from the spirit of my invention.

From the foregoing described mechanism it will be further understood that by ntiliz- 1 ing the essential features of the mechanism embodied in this washing and rinsing machine, I may thoroughly wash or scour, rinse. and sterilize, any form of vessel prepnratory to use as a food or liquid recep tacle. and thus insure most eilicient sanitary results. in an economical manner, the machine'being'capable of manipulation by unskilled labor as effectually as it the bottle washing and rinsing operations were performed by the most careful and conscientious skilled operators.

T claim:

In a washing machine for bottles or the like, u rotary spoked hub and separate fluid channels in each of its spokes communicating with the hub, a chambered supporting water-head for the reel-hub. ports in said reel-hub adapted to communicate with the channels of each spoke, and inlet and discharge ports in the supporting waterdiead adapted to have communirration with the reel-hub ports, hoppercarrying water-heads each in communication with one of the channels of :1 spoke, bottle holding tubes extending from each water-head, injector nozzles in communicareel having a hollow tidn with the other spoke-channeis and pro I in the county of New York and State Of jficting through the water-heads, and inner New York in the presence of two witnesses.

tubes in the bottle holding tubes and each J I having its lower end in conuminicatien with LEOl OLD VVE-ISCOPF 5 and spaced from an injector nozzle. Vii-messes:

"In testimony that I claim the foregoing I M. E. SKERRITT,

I have hereunto set my hand at New York STODDART, 3rd. 

